Microsoft Rumored To Include x86 on ARM64 Emulation In Windows 10 'Redstone 3'

Each new "Redstone" release of Windows 10 is notable for a handful of reasons, but Redstone 3 could include one of the most ambitious features yet: x86 on ARM64 emulation. What that ultimately means is that ARM-based devices running Windows 10 Mobile, such as the Lumia 950 XL, could see an immediate boost of supported applications.

x86 emulation could prove extremely important for ARM-based Windows devices, as it would allow users to run the same applications they're used to running on their x86 desktops and notebooks. If the emulation works well, it could dramatically bolster the number of apps Microsoft's mobile platforms could run, essentially giving it the best of both worlds -- especially when paired with Continuum.

While Adobe Photoshop might suddenly run on an ARM platform, it doesn't mean that it'd run well, or that all of its functionality would work as expected. Simpler apps, such as the FileZilla FTP client or Sublime Text (just to name two), should work with minor issues as both are simpler apps.

But that's reading a bit too far into the future, as this feature itself is still a year away. For that reason, Microsoft is not going to be targeting the enterprise with this feature, although that could change over time if the performance nears native x86 performance.

Interestingly, the codename for this functionality is "Colbalt", which Mojang fans will recognize, as it's the name of one of the developer's games. Microsoft owns Mojang, and thus its major Windows 10 builds have taken the Redstone nomenclature. Let's see if Microsoft somehow wraps the name "Scrolls" into an upcoming feature.